163. Argo: Smuggled Out of Khomeini's Iran (Ep 4)

The Rest Is Classified

Goalhanger

History

4.4 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 3 June 2026

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Six American diplomats are about to walk through the Tehran airport with alias Canadian passports. But will they make it through? And how does the real Argo end? As the story reaches its dramatic conclusion, David and Gordon look at what can be learnt from the 1979 plot to smuggle six American diplomats out of Iran. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see David and Gordon live on stage at London’s Southbank Centre on 4 September: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-live/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------------------- Sign-up for our free newsletter where producer Becki takes you behind the scenes of the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/goalhanger.com/tric-free-newsletter-sign⁠-up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------------------- Join the Declassified Club to go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews with top intelligence insiders, regular livestreams, ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, and weekly deep dives into original spy stories. Members also get curated reading lists, special book discounts, prize draws, and access to our private chat community. Just go to ⁠⁠therestisclassified.com⁠ or join on Apple Podcasts. ------------------- Get a 10% discount on business PCs, printers and accessories using the code TRIC10. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://HP.com/CLASSIFIED⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more information. T&C's apply. ------------------- Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠therestisclassified@goalhanger.com⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@restisclassified⁠ Video Editor: Joe Pettit Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producer: Alfie Rowe Producer: Becki Hills Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	For exclusive interviews, bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to series,
0:09.0	first look at live show tickets, a weekly newsletter, and discounted books.
0:13.1	Join the declassified club at the rest is classified.com. Six American diplomats are about to walk through Tehran Airport, but with Canadian passports.
0:31.7	Will they make it through?
0:33.4	And how does the real Argo end?
0:35.7	Well, welcome to the rest is classified.
0:37.4	I'm Gordon Carrera.
0:38.4	And I'm David McClersky.
0:39.6	And we are at the crucial moment of this story of these American diplomats who went into hiding.
0:46.6	We're bravely protected by the Canadians and especially Canada's James Bond, Ken Taylor. Big shout out to the Canadian
0:56.3	spies out there before the CIA join the rescue effort with Tony Mendez coming up with this
1:05.0	wild idea of turning them into a Hollywood scouting location crew and giving them these false documents. But it is the moment,
1:13.0	isn't it, David? Early in the morning of Monday, 28th of January, 1980, when it's all going to
1:20.2	be put to the test. This is what it's all about make or break. Another episode of our
1:25.6	Argo series, another opening with Gordon Carrera slobbering all over
1:29.6	the Canadians. At this point, I'm not even going to respond. You're not going to bother,
1:34.1	are you? Good. It's early morning. Monday, the 28th of January, 1980. And we are just a few
1:41.0	hours away from the Studio 6 film cruise flight from Tehran to Zurich.
1:47.9	Now, for those who have seen the film, we remember these tense sequence in which the Ben Affleck
1:56.7	character is not sleeping that final night.
1:59.6	He's kind of tossing and turning and pacing the hotel room and deliberating on what to do.
2:05.2	The real Tony Mendez said his memoir says that he slept like a baby because he was exhausted.
	...

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